"It's terrifying": Thousands call for return of Night Tube amid concerns for women's safety

The service was shut in response to the outbreak of coronavirus in the city last year

Author: Helen HoddinottPublished 7th Oct 2021

Tens of thousands of people across the capital are calling for the Night Tube to get back up and running.

It comes as women look for safe, quick ways to get home late at night, following the horrific murders of Sabina Nessa, Sarah Everard, Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.

The service was stopped in March last year - and is only set to resume in 2022.

25-year-old journalist Mared Parry started a petition calling for it to be re-instated.

"We know that if we stay out past 11pm, there's no legitimate way to get home," she says.

"The Night Tube is not just for nights out, it's not just for leisure purposes," she adds. "There are people working all hours of the day, and what about the ones that finish their shifts at 3 or 4 in the morning?"

It comes as more people have been reporting issues trying to book cabs through apps - with services becoming increasingly expensive and unreliable.

It's emerged London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been in talks with TfL, urging them to "look into the feasibility of getting one or two lines reopened this year."

Andy Lord, managing director of TfL, says ensuring women and girls can travel safely is "an absolute priority," but "the pandemic limited our ability to train drivers and we have had to deploy available drivers maintain a reliable service during the daytime across the week."

He adds they are "continuing to review how we might be able to reintroduce the full Friday and Saturday Night Tube in a safe and viable way as soon as possible."

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.